Abstract
AIM: To assess the dental status of elderly patients examined in the clinical dentistry course of a Brazilian public university. METHODS: An observational and descriptive study based on the analysis of panoramic radiographs. The sample consisted of 60 elderly patients who met the inclusion criteria. Two observers who had been trained in appropriate conditions performed the radiographic analysis. Data were stored in a specific form, recorded in a database and analyzed using descriptive statistics (measures of central tendency and variability) and inferential statistics (Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Chi-square analysis and calculation of the Cramer's V coefficient). RESULTS: Most patients had at least one tooth in the oral cavity (71.7%), while 28.3% were totally edentulous, an average of 10.5 teeth per individual. The average number of teeth was 11.36 in males and 9.89 in females. The number of healthy teeth was 328 (5.47 per patient). In this study, 88.3% of the subjects had periodontal bone loss, with prevalence of moderate (35.0%) and severe (28.3%) bone loss. CONCLUSIONS: Given the high incidence of edentulous individuals, the high number of restored teeth and poor periodontal conditions, it is concluded that the overall oral health status of the evaluated elderly subjects is poor.
Highlights
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the chronological level of 60 years of age and over is used to define the elderly population in developing countries[1].It is estimated that there are approximately 17.6 million elderly Brazilians and that by the year 2025, the country will have the sixth largest elderly population in the world, over 30 million people[2,3]
137513 Radiographic evaluation of the dental condition of elderly people treated at a Brazilian public university
Given the importance of understanding the oral health status of this population, the aim of this study was to survey the dental status of elderly patients examined in the clinical dentistry course of a Brazilian public university
Summary
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the chronological level of 60 years of age and over is used to define the elderly population in developing countries[1].It is estimated that there are approximately 17.6 million elderly Brazilians and that by the year 2025, the country will have the sixth largest elderly population in the world, over 30 million people[2,3]. Among the main challenges faced by the healthcare system is the generation of new demands[4] Regarding oral health, such changes have predictable consequences and should be instrumental in defining effective measures to prevent disease and loss of teeth along an individual’s lifetime[5]. According to Matos et al.[8] and Meloto et al.[9], the aging process is associated with many changes in the mouth, some of them related to systemic problems (cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, oral cancer, osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases) and their treatments, where the loss of teeth is not a consequence of aging but rather the result of complex interaction between dental diseases and the lack of preventive measures implemented either by the dentist or the individual. Dental professionals must understand the complexities inherent to older people, their special needs and their ability to undergo and respond to care
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